I. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to communication, and more specifically to techniques for detecting stations for wireless communication.
II. Background
Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, and so on. These networks may be capable of supporting communication for multiple users by sharing the available network resources. Examples of such networks include wireless local area networks (WLANs), wireless wide area networks (WWANs), and wireless metropolitan area networks (WMANs).
IEEE 802.11 supports the creation of ad hoc wireless networks. When a station is powered on or moves into a new area, the station listens for a beacon transmitted by an access point. If the station receives the beacon, then the station may send a probe request to the access point. The station may then perform synchronization and associate with the access point. Thereafter, the station and the access point may communicate as specified by IEEE 802.11. If the station does not receive a beacon, then the station may become an access point and start transmitting a beacon periodically, e.g., every 10 to 100 milliseconds (ms). Between beacon transmissions, the station would switch to a receive mode and listen for access probes sent by other stations.
A station may thus either (1) turn on its receiver all the time to listen for a beacon from an access point or (2) alternately turn on its transmitter and receiver when assuming the role of an access point. In either case, the station may consume large amount of battery power to detect other stations. There is therefore a need in the art for techniques to more efficiently detect other stations.